Bare Branches

On my morning walk, I noticed that the week's rain had knocked most of the remaining leaves off the trees. Even the white oaks, which tend to stubbornly hang on to their leaves until January, were looking surprisingly bare. I was reminded that as much as I love the fall leaf color, winter is actually my favorite time for observing and photographing trees. Who can argue with the beauty of this Europeaan beech in winter?

Photo ©2009 Lee Anne White. All rights reserved.

Not Everyone Loves a Tripod...Why I Do

Granted, I cannot take a photograph without a camera of some kind. But as a landscape photographer, the features on my tripod are actually more important to me than the features on my camera. If I’m shooting in low light (which I often am) and want good depth of field (which I usually do), I’m typically shooting slow exposures. In fact, the majority of the exposures I make in the landscape are 1/15 second to 30 seconds—and handholding any camera at those shutter speeds won’t produce the results I want and have come to expect.

I don’t mind using a simple camera. But I am particular about my tripod. Its purpose is to steady and support my camera, so it has to be sturdy and stable—even in a brisk wind. I’m shooting in the landscape, so it has to be light enough to haul around. The landscape can be rugged and some of the close-ups I shoot are close to the ground, so the legs must be able to adjust independently and go very low (so avoid those horizontal support braces). Because light is constantly changing and I’m photographing a variety of subjects during a shoot, I need both legs and a ball head that are quickly and easily adjusted. Because I move around so much, I need the flexibility of a quick release plate so that I can explore different compositions before setting up the tripod. And because I travel extensively with my tripod, it needs to collapse into a size that easily fits in my suitcase, yet still extends to full height (which, for me, means four leg segments instead of three).

The truth is, there are few things worse than the wrong tripod. If it won’t go low enough, you can’t get the shot. If it’s flimsy, it serves no purpose and puts your camera and lenses at risk. If it doesn’t adjust easily, you simply won’t use it. If it’s too big or too heavy, you won’t pack it for a trip. So if you want tack-sharp landscape images with good depth of field, get a good tripod. It should last for years. I’m rough on my tripod, but have been using the same one for nearly 15 years. It ranks among the best equipment investments I’ve made.

While you’re at it, pick up a cable release. Pressing the shutter with your finger while it is on a tripod defeats the purpose of using a tripod. You can use the self-timer in a pinch, but this can be slow and you will frequently miss your shot.

And just for the record: No, I don’t believe every shot has to be taken on a tripod. In fact, tripods would hinder you for many types of photography. And even in landscape and garden photography, there are times I shoot handheld—usually for extreme close-ups with minimum depth of field. But for those tack-sharp garden photos with great depth of field, you’ll be amazed at the difference a sturdy tripod can make.

Vision and Style

As photographers, we talk a lot about vision and style. But do we really know what those words mean? These terms conjure up different concepts for different people and they are often confused with one another. But I’ll take a stab at defining and differentiating them, if for no reason other than to get you thinking about what they mean to you.

Vision is about seeing. Style is about conveying. Vision has to do with perceptions: how and what we see. Style is about the way in which we share what we see—more specifically, a consistent and often unique way in which we convey our vision.

I can stand at the edge of a beautiful garden with ten other photographers. We are looking at the same scene, but what each of us sees is very different. Vision is selective. It is based on our personal experiences, passions, and ways of seeing the world around us. What might you see standing at the edge of a garden? The broad scene or tight details? A habitat or the designer’s intentions? The growth habit of individual plants or the gentle sweep of a path? Would you be more interested in the physical aspects of what you see, or rather the way they made you feel? How you answer this question has a lot to say about your vision.

Now then, how might you convey that vision to others through your photographs? Would you work in black and white, color or some alternative process? Would you seek to capture your vision realistically, or would you tend toward a more impressionistic or even abstract approach? What camera format and lens would you choose? Which might you be more inclined to emphasize: line, space, color, texture or some other design element? Would your interpretation be subtle or dramatic? Would your framing be tight or generous? Would the composition be clean and simple, or might it be more complex with unexpected juxtapositions of elements? In what type of light might you most prefer to photograph the scene? These are just some of the approaches that, when they become common ways of conveying your vision, begin to signify your style.

It takes time to develop a distinct and recognizable style. Also, styles tend to evolve throughout our lifetime as we continue to be influenced by the visual styles of others and our way of seeing the world changes. Somewhere along the line, we must also strive for balance—exploring and even exploiting our own style without getting stuck in a rut. That means continually experimenting, and always asking our selves what we really see, how it makes us feel, and why we are compelled to photograph a particular subject.

Photos ©2009 Lee Anne White. All rights reserved.

Fall Photography Invitational

My work, along with the work of eight other photographers, will be featured in the Fall Photography Invitational Show at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Georgia. The show runs August 13 - October 10, 2009, and an opening reception will be held Thursday, August 13, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm.

Other photographers include O.C. Carlisle, Stefen Eberhard, Debra Frieden, Hewett Beasley, Jack Lawing, Stan Susky, Jennifer Julian and Fox Gradin.

Bamboo Shoot

One of the little-known features on Brenau University's campus is its Bamboo Forest. Rediscovered a few years ago by biology teacher Louise Bauck, the overgrown forest was likely part of Dr. H.J. Pearce's Japanese garden. It is believed to have been planted in the 1920s when landscape architect Shogo Joseph Myaida designed several Japanese features on the Gainesville, Georgia, campus. The Bamboo Forest, which features timber bamboo exceeding a half foot in diameter and growing 50 feet tall, is located adjacent to what was once Lake Takeda--the focal point of Camp Takeda, a summer camp for girls.

I spent a bit of time exploring the forest this morning before rain set in. Thought I'd share a few of my shots.

All Photos ©2009 Lee Anne White. All rights reserved.